This invention relates to dietitic frozen desserts which have essentially all the sugar normally in their non-dietitic counterparts replaced by a sufficient amount of an aspartame(L-aspartyl-L-phenylalanine methyl ester) sweetener composition and a bulking agent composition to provide a dietetic frozen dessert having acceptable taste and structure as evidenced by so-called "mouthfeel". Typical of the frozen desserts contemplated are ice cream, ice milk, sherbet, frozen yogurt, frozen custard, sorbet, ices, tofuti and imitation ice cream (mellorine or parevine types).
In previous attempts to reduce the caloric content of frozen desserts, only part of the sugar was replaced by sweeteners such as aspartame. This was necessary because the amount of aspartame required to replace a given volume of sugar and keep the same sweetness level is very small as aspartame is about 200 times as sweet as sugar. This results in a reduction in volume which has a deleterious effect on the structure of the dessert, causing the mouthfeel to be inferior and an inferior product to result.
McPherson et al., J. Food Sci. 43, 934, (1978) used aspartame to supply up to 37.5% of the sweetness of sherbet. This resulted in a modification to the mix stabilization and a small reduction in the caloric content.
Searle Consumer Products Division of Searle Pharmaceuticals Inc. has technical bulletins published in 1983, one of which discloses the use of Equal low calorie sweetener with aspartame in recipes for consumer use and the other for industrial users discloses the uses of aspartame in a variety of formulations. Neither bulletin discloses the use of aspartame in combination with another non-caloric or low caloric sweetener having synergistic sweetening properties with aspartame in frozen desserts. Searle has thus not made available to the public any technical information or guidance on the use of aspartame and its synergistic sweeteners in frozen dietetic desserts.
Anderson, J., "Unforbidden Desserts", Arbor House, New York, N.Y., (1982) used aspartame as a sweetener for ice cream but required corn syrup solids, sugar or gelatin as bulking agents. This resulted in only a small reduction in the caloric content.
The Journal of Commerce, Sept. 2, 1983 reported that Pfizer Chemical Division has received approval from the U.S. FDA for the use of polydextrose in frozen dairy desserts.
Pfizer Chemical Division in a brochure entitled "Polydextrose reduced calorie bulking agent" (1983) does not disclose any frozen desserts with aspartame.
Smiles, "Chemistry of Foods and Beverages: Recent Developments", Academic Press Inc. New York, N.Y. (1982) and in "The Functional Application of Polydextrose" (1983) discusses the use of polydextrose as a low calorie (1 cal/gm) bulking agent in foods which gives them the texture and mouthfeel qualities normally provided by sugar and fat. There are no discussions or references to frozen desserts or to aspartame.
Figdor et al., "Caloric Utilization and Disposition of .sup.14 C-Polydextrose in Rat and Man", AGFD, paper 199, (1983) disclose that polydextrose is a tasteless non-sweet low calorie bulking agent formed by the random polymerization of glucose with lesser amounts of sorbitol and citric acid. It is not adsorbed after being orally ingested and the major portion is excreted in the feces. Polydextrose has approximately 1 cal/gm or about 25% the value of glucose. Figdor et al., in addition, state that polydextrose is intended as a total or partial replacement for sugar and as a partial replacement for the bulk of fat and flour in a variety of common processed foods with a resultant reduction in calories. No mention is made of frozen desserts or aspartame.
FMC Corporation, in Bulletin RC-52 entitled "Avicel microcrystalline cellulose in frozen desserts" and Bulletin C-55 entitled "Avicel Application Bulletin" (1980) disclose the use of Avicel as a stabilizer for various frozen desserts. None of the disclosed formulations contain aspartame or aspartame synergist sweeteners.
There is research ongoing in the field of low-calorie frozen desserts. D. H. Goff and W. K. Jordan of the Department of Food Science and Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y. have been unsuccessful in formulating low calorie frozen desserts since they require the use of corn syrup solids or sorbitol. This is also disclosed in Goff et al., "Aspartame and Corn Syrup Solids as Sweeteners for Ice Cream", Modern Dairy, 62 (3), (1983), on previous Goff work.
Ms. N. Knezevich, author of "Mina's Sugarless Ice Cream Parlour", Elmhurst, N.Y. has developed 25 recipes using aspartame instead of sugar in a variety of frozen desserts. None of the recipes include aspartame and a non-caloric synergist sweetener used in combination with polydextrose or other bulking agents.
Because of increased attention given to controlled caloric intake in the diet, dietitic frozen desserts with non-sugar sweeteners are a very desirable product.